Russia says unmanned vessel attacked tanker Aframax Rio in Black Sea, crew rescued
Russia's Transport Ministry says all 23 crew of the Liberian-flagged tanker are safe and reports no casualties from the strike.
Published
Map: The Black Sea, marking Odesa
Russia's Transport Ministry says the Aframax Rio, a Liberian-flagged tanker, was attacked by an unmanned vessel. It says the tanker's 23-member crew has been rescued and reports no casualties.
The ministry has not given details on the tanker's cargo, route or the exact location of the strike.
The attack follows a string of recent incidents in the region. Russia confirmed a strike on a cargo ship in the Black Sea on Sunday, October 4. Moscow's mayor said Monday night that 650 Ukrainian drones had targeted the region overnight, a sharp jump in scale from recent refinery and shipping attacks.
An unmanned vessel strike on a Liberian-flagged tanker adds a new method to a pattern of Black Sea attacks already seen against cargo ships and foreign vessels near Odesa, with no sign that the crew or any hull damage led to casualties this time. The incident keeps maritime risk premiums in the region elevated without pointing to a confirmed disruption to supply, in line with weeks of strikes that have not produced a lasting break in crude or grain flows. For broad US equity exposure, the episode adds to a long list of unresolved Black Sea and Russia-Ukraine frictions rather than shifting the macro picture on its own, with parallel tracks including arms control talks and discussions over Lukoil assets showing no sign of near-term resolution.